Page 48 of The Devil's Bargain
Something flickered in his eyes. “They approached me after you married Elmstone. Said they’d make me head of engineering if I could replicate your filtration system.” His mouth twisted. “But I couldn’t. Even with everything you’d shared over the years.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t make it work.”
The rain plastered her quickly donned men’s clothing to her skin, but she barely felt the cold. “Whose idea was it to destroy the pipes?”
“Imperial wanted your company in ruins.” Thomas’ eyes darted between Caroline and the damaged intake valves, a slight smile playing at his lips. “Your precious filtration system would have been beyond repair.”
“You would have poisoned half of London.” Caroline’s voice shook with fury.
“And I would have been a very wealthy man.” His smile widened.
“Take him away,” Mills ordered sharply.
Caroline stood frozen, every moment with Thomas now playing back in her mind, tainted by this new knowledge. Every time she’d shared her work, thinking she was speaking to a friend who understood her passion, she’d been handing pieces of herself to a thief.
“Caroline.” Devlin’s voice was gentle as he turned her to face him. “Sweetheart—”
“Don’t.” She pressed her face against his chest, letting his coat muffle her words. “Just... hold me. Please.”
His arms came around her, strong and sure, as her tears finally fell—for the friend she’d lost, for the trust that lay shattered at her feet, for the knowledge that she’d never again share her work so freely.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured into her hair. “I’ve got you.”
The carriage ride home was quiet, broken only by the steady clip of hooves against wet cobblestones. Caroline sat wrapped in Devlin’s coat, staring unseeing at the gas-lit streets passing by. His arm around her waist anchored her as her mind spun with memories—Thomas checking her calculations, sharing tea in his study, all those moments of supposed friendship now tainted by betrayal.
“He knew exactly where to plant the charges,” she whispered finally. “Because I’d shown him the system myself. Trusted him with everything.”
Devlin’s arm tightened. “You couldn’t have known.”
“Couldn’t I?” She turned to face him, her voice bitter. “You tried to warn me about him. I accused you of being unreasonably jealous, when all along...”
“Caroline.” His voice was rough as he caught her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Listen to me. Your ability to trust, to see the best in others—it’s not a weakness. It’s one of the things I—” he broke off, something vulnerable crossing his face.
“What?”
“One of the things I love about you.” His thumb brushed away a tear she hadn’t realised had fallen. “Which makes what I did even worse. I need to apologise.”
His normally confident posture was gone, replaced by remorse. “What I did—blackmailing you into marriage—it was wrong.” His voice roughened. “I told myself it was business, that I was protecting you from men who would never take you seriously. I convinced myself the end justified the means. But I was wrong. I had no right to force you into this marriage, no matter my reasons.”
“Devlin...” Her voice wavered. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“Our three-month trial was over yesterday.” He looked down at their joined hands. “We haven’t consummated, which means we can annul our marriage, maintain our business partnership. I’ll still use whatever influence I have to ensure your genius is recognised. You can be free of me.”
The silence stretched between them while all sorts of thoughts passed through Caroline’s head. “Is that what you want? An annulment?”
His voice broke. “Of course not. I’ve fallen completely, irrevocably in love with you, Caroline. Letting you go would destroy me, but I’m willing to let you be free should you wish. Keep your patents, your position, your wealth, but you wouldn’t be bound to me personally anymore.”
Caroline pushed him away gently. Her face had gone very still. “What if I wish to be bound to you? Personally, professionally, in every way.”
“Caroline, do you mean it?” His eyes widened as hope brightened his countenance.
“Wholeheartedly.”
He lifted her hand to his lips. “Caroline…”
“I choose you, Devlin Elmstone. I choose your schemes and your passion and your devastating honesty. I choose my brilliant and surprisingly kind husband.”
He pulled her into his embrace, his heart thundering against her ear. “Are you certain? Because once I truly have you, I’ll never let you go.”
“Good.” She traced his jaw with trembling fingers. “Because I have no intention of going anywhere.”
